Combined uncoupling-lever and coupling-positioning device



w. P. MURPHY. COMBINED UNCOUPLING LEV'ER AND COUPL NG 'OSITIONINGDEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 7. l9l6.

'Patentd Jan. 18,1921.

UNITED STATES WALTEB PATTEN MURPHY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED UNCOUI'LING-LEVER AND COUPLING-POSITIONING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

Application filed December 7, 1916. Serial No. 135,626.

T 0 all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, 'WALTER P. MURPHY, a citizen of the United States,residin at Chica o, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in CombinedUnconpling-Levers and Coupling-Positioning Devices, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Couplers have from 3 to 3.5 inches lateral motion on carrier irons,normally, but when the draft sills are damaged it is possible for thecoupler to have a greater lateral movement.

When cars are left standing in railway yards, and about industrialplants, in which higher than the inside rail, the coupler is thrown,swinlgs, or slides over toward the inside rail. t is also frequentlynecessary to couple cars on a sharp curve, in which event it isnecessary to push both couplers as far as possible to the inside of thecurve, so that the couplers will engage each other. In this connectionthe Interstate Commerce Commission has reported that many accidents havebeen caused by the trainmen attempting to position the couplers on thecarrier iron, to suit requirements, so that it would meet the opposingcoupler, this operation making it necessary for a man to place someportion of his body, usually his foot or arm between the cars, generallywhile they are in motion. A great many employees have had feet or handscrushed in this way. The annual reports show that over 10% of coupleraccidents are due to ad'usting the couplers.

The primary object of my invention is to provide means whereby thecoupler may be positioned without the operator placing any portion ofhis body between the cars and to hold it there while thelcars are beingcoupled.

A further object of my invention is to provide a positioning devicewhich-will not, in its installation, interfere with the air brake orsignal couplings, or lock pins, and which requires no alteration of anypart of a car or locomotive.

A further object of my invention is to provide a combined uncouplinglever and sitionin device, whereby no additional olts and rackets arenecessary; and with these and other objects in view my invention pin 3..the outside rail of curves s considerably consists of the parts andcombination of parts as will be hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of a part of a car with myinvention attached, the coupler being shown in dotted lines.

F ig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, the coupler being shown in fulllines.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail view, parts being in section.

The reference numeral 1 designates the end sill of a car which may be ofany approved type. The coupler 2 is of standard construction and is Manycars are equipped with the swing carrier iron shown in the drawing; thecarrier 4 being mounted on the swingingly mounted arms 5, the trunnions6 of the arms bearing on the block 7. The object of this construction ofcarrier is to permit it to swing with the coupler under serviceconditions which eliminates relative lateral movement between thecoupler and carrier. This particular construction of carrier, however,is not necessary to the successful operation of my invention.

The uncoupling lever S is preferably revolubly mounted in brackets 9 onthe end of the car, which are properly positioned to permit of thesuccessful operation of the parts. The inner end of the uncoupling lever8 terminates in a forwardly extending crank arm 13 provided with an eye14 in its end, said lever, extending over the coupler as shown in Figs.2 and 3 A chain 14 or other suitable connection connects the lock pin 3with the crank arm 13 of the uncoupling lever.

In one embodiment of my invention, I form a connection between thecoupler and the crank 13 of the uncoupler rod or lever by means of ayoke 15, the opening through which is designed to permit servicemovements of the coupler without imposing strains upon the parts. Theyoke 15 is provided with an arm 16 extending upwardly therefrom and isprovided with an elon' gated slot 17, through which the crank arm 13 ofthe uncoupling lever 8 freely passes, the slot 17 being of such size asto permit service movements of the parts without imposing strainthereon. It will be noted that the tops of the arm 16 and slot 17 arenorprovided with the lock mally on a higher plane than the crank arm 13.The object of this is to permit of free up and down movement of thecoupler and yoke under service conditions without atfecting theuncoupler lever.

Normally the handle 18 is in the position shown in Figs. 1 to 8. In casethe coupler has moved over toward the right and it is desired to centerit, the handle 18 is moved to the left, whereby the uncoupling rod 8 ismoved bodily toward the left hand side of the car, the crank arm 13pulling the coupler by means of the yoke 15 to the center for readycoupling. In the event that the coupler is on the left hand side of thecenter, the rod 8 is pushed to the right.

To operate the lock pin 3 of the coupler, the handle 18 is pulledupwardly.

lVhat I claim is:

1. The combination of a coupler flexibly supported on a car, and havinga lock pin, a one piece operating rod j ournaled wholly on the carstructure adapted to be moved end- Wise and having a forwardlyprojecting crank arm at its inner end, means connecting said crank withthe said lock pin whereby the pin is operated when the rod is revolved,means engagin said coupler and adapted to be engaged said crank when therod is moved endwise whereby an endwise increment of the rod will movethe. coupler to position it.

2. The combination of a coupler flexibly supported on a car and having alock pin, a one piece operating rod revolubly and endwise bodily movablyand wholly mounted on the end of a car structure, a crank at the innerend oi said rod having an operable connection with the lock pin of thecoupler whereby said pin is operated when the rod is revolved, a yokeengaging the coupler and engaging the said crank, and means whereby saidcrank may move when the rod is revolved without moving the yoke; wherebythe coupler may be positioned by an cmlwise movement of the rod.

3. The combination of a coupler flexibly mounted on a car, and having alock pin, a one piece operating rod revolubly and bodily endwiseshii'tably wholly mounted on the end oi a car structure, a crank at theinner end oi said rod, means extending upwardly from the coupler andmovable therewith and having a slidable connection with said crank andmeans connecting the said crank with said lock pin; whereby the lock pinmay be operated by revolving the rod and the roupler positioned byshifting the rod endwise.

In testimony whereof I aili); my signature.

lVALTER PATT El Mllltll IY.

